Anetso, the Cherokee Ball Game

“This is a careful and innovative consideration of a remarkable and enduring Native American ritual. Zogry reflects deeply, critically, and sensibly on an amazing array of issues of theoretical interest to the study of religion, culture, game, ritual, secrecy, colonial contact, and even the impact of tourism on culture. An important and informative work.” — Sam D. Gill, University of Colorado at Boulder

“Innovative, compelling, and thoroughly researched. . . . Specialists in Cherokee religion, ritual studies, and religion and sports will appreciate this book.” — Religion in American History

“A remarkable assessment of anetso. . . . An important and compelling work. . . . It will certainly remain the standard text on the topic for years to come.” — Indigenous Peoples Issues & Resources

“The kind of book that I would like to see more of . . . . Zogry has, with the publication of his rich book, renewed a (scholarly) tradition of importance.” — Ethnohistory

“A significant contribution to the field of Cherokee studies, particularly Cherokee religious studies . . . . Zogry’s analysis of the ball game is deeper and more nuanced than those that have come before.” — Journal of Southern History

“A fascinating exploration of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' ball game, Anetso.” — Journal of American History

“A superb amalgamation of historical and ethnological methodologies and interpretations of evidence, Zogry demonstrates the defiant persistence of Cherokee cultural and religious elements embedded within Anetso that contemporary Cherokee ball players and spectators continue to embrace today.” — H-Net Reviews

“Provides a striking opportunity for rethinking the understanding of ritual and performance as well as their relationship to cultural identity. . . . Offers a sharp reappraisal of scholarly discourse on the Cherokee religious system.” — Edgefield Advertiser

“Zogry combines extensive archival research and ethnographic fieldwork with a firm theoretical foundation to convincingly argue for the centrality of anetso to Cherokee cultural identity. . . . Conceptually clear and culturally sensitive. . . . A valuable contribution.” — West Virginia History

“A very important and significant book about a Cherokee activity that reinforces the fact that the meaning of anetso remains as elusive as the “ball” itself but still central to Cherokee cultural identity.” — Register of the Kentucky Historical Society